Food!
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Food!
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Calendula Custard 1 pint of milk 1 cup of calendula petals 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons of sugar small piece of vanilla bean 3 egg yolks 1/8 teaspoon of nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon of allspice 1/2 teaspoon of rose water Pound the calendula petals in a mortar, or crush them with a spoon, and scald them with the milk and vanilla bean. Remove the vanilla bean, and add slightly beaten yolks of eggs, salt, and sugar mixed with the spice. Cook until the mixture coats the spoon. Add rose water and cool. This makes a good sauce for blanc mange. It may be poured into a dish without cooking, and then baked like a custard. Serve with beaten cream, and garnish with calendula blossoms. Orange Calendula Drop Cookies 6 to 8 fresh calendula blossoms 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar zest of 2 oranges 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs 2 cups flour 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 ounces almond halves Rinse calendulas and pull off petals. Cream butter, sugar and orange zest until fluffy. Add concentrate and vanilla. Add eggs and mix until blended. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend calendula petals into dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Press an almond half into each cookie. Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Honey & Lemon Balm Tea Biscuits 1 cup butter 1 cup honey 3 eggs 3 cups flour 3 teasp. baking powder 1 tablespoon milk 2 teasp. lemon juice (preferably fresh) 4 sprigs fresh lemon balm, chopped Thoroughly cream the butter and honey. Add eggs and beat well. Add the dry ingredients, then milk, juice and lemon balm. Drop by spoonfuls on an ungreased baking sheet and bake 8-10 min. at 375. Substitutions: if using lemon grass, process a 1/2 inch peeled piece in blender or food processor until it mushes. No stringy bits, no chewy bits. Lavender Honey 1 cup dried lavender flowers 1 quart mild flavored honey Combine the two in an airtight jar and sit on a windowsill in the sunlight for 2 to 3 weeks turning every couple of days. Once brewed warm honey in a double boiler untill honey is runny but not too hot. Using a piece of cheesecloth and funnel pour honey through and squeeze remainder of honey out of lavender through the cloth. Lavender Cookies 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms, finely chopped 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder Preheat oven to 375F. In a med. bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla, and lavender: mix well. Combine the flour and baking powder and add to the lavender mixture. Stir until will blended. Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake eight to 10 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges. Let cookies cool. Rose Petal, Chamomile, and Lavendar Jelly 1 cup tightly pressed rose petals 1/8 cup crushed chamomile 1/4 cup crushed lavendar 1 pack dry pectin 3 1/2 cups water 4 cups sugar Hothouse roses are fine for this jelly, but home grown or wild roses are best. I found a wild primrose bush with lovely pink and white petals, growing next to honeysuckle. If you do find wild roses, be aware of what's growing around it...poison ivy isn't the best added flavor. Thoroughly clean the petals, making sure all of the little bugs aren't in your mixture. Mix them with the chamomile and lavendar, then add the boiling water, to cover all of the ingredients. Cover the pot, let it stand for one hour. Strain the floral matter from the liquid twice with a cheesecloth, making sure all that you have is pure liquid. The petals, chamomile, and lavendar make an excellant facial poltice for tired eyes and oily skin. Add the pectin to the liquid and bring to a boil, then add all of the sugar at once, stirring carefully but quickly. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Remove as much foam as you can from the top, otherwise, you have funky white clouds in you jelly. Stir for a few minutes, until the mixture starts to cool, then pour into hot, clean jars for canning. Old jelly jars with their lids work wonderfully for this. Be careful pouring! I missed the jar and slopped near-boiling sugar and pectin all over my thumb, it's *quite* painful! Let your jelly stand for one hour in the jars, then put them in the fridge to hasten their setting. Depending on the size of your jars, you should have edible jelly one hour after putting them in the fridge. The color of you rose petals determines the color of your jelly. With my pink and white primroses, I got a lovely reddish-golden color, and a delicate taste. This jelly complements jasmine tea, as well as lavendar and chamomile, even plain old Lipton. Enjoy! Evergreen 1/2
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